Newsom announces contract to install nearly 500 car-tracking cameras in and around Oakland
CHP and Oakland police signed a contract to install nearly 500 cameras in Oakland and on nearby highways to track vehicles suspected of criminal activity The California Highway Patrol and the Oakland Police Department have signed a contract to install nearly 500 car-tracking cameras in Oakland and nearby highways to help track vehicles suspected of involvement in crimes. The cameras, which are similar to license plate reader cameras, will be installed on surface streets and an additional 190 on nearby highways within the next 30 days. They will be able to identify vehicles by characteristics such as make, model, and color, as well as details such as bumper stickers and roof racks. The data from the cameras will be stored for 28 days and then deleted. This move is part of California Gov. Gavin Newsom's aggressive approach to crime in response to an increase in crime and concern about public safety.
Published : 4 weeks ago by Sophia Bollag in Politics
The California Highway Patrol and the Oakland Police Department have signed a contract to install nearly 500 cameras in Oakland and on nearby highways to help track vehicles suspected of involvement in crimes, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office announced Friday.
Under the contract with Flock Safety, the first cameras will be installed within the next 30 days, Newsom spokesperson Izzy Gardon said. He said 290 will be installed on surface streets in Oakland and an additional 190 will be installed on nearby highways.
The cameras are similar to license plate reader cameras but have an additional ability to identify vehicles by characteristics like make, model and color as well as details such as bumper stickers and roof racks, Gardon said. Police can put out an alert for cars matching a particular description — a white Honda Civic with covered plates, for example — and track vehicles driving in the area through the camera network in real time, Gardon said.
“This investment marks another step forward in our commitment to bolstering public safety and tackling organized crime and roadway violence in Oakland and across California,” Newsom wrote in a statement. “With the installation of this 480 high-tech camera network, we’re equipping law enforcement with the tools they need to effectively combat criminal activity and hold perpetrators accountable.”
The announcement is the latest example of Newsom taking a hands-on approach in Oakland in response to an uptick in crime and concern about public safety. In the past six months, he has deployed CHP officers into Oakland to crack down on thefts and sent attorneys from the California National Guard and the California Department of Justice to help Alameda County prosecute more people. The moves are part of a tougher stance on crime that Newsom has taken in the past couple of years.
The data from the cameras will be stored for 28 days and then deleted, Gardon said. The CHP will comply with a directive from Attorney General Rob Bonta not to share automated license plate reader data with other states that would use the information to track people seeking or providing abortions. Some local law enforcement agencies are still doing that in spite of Bonta’s advice, the Chronicle reported last week.
The Oakland City Council approved the purchase of the license plate reader cameras last year, Oaklandside reported. Oakland residents protested plans to expand the use of cameras to surveil the city a decade ago, Oaklandside reported, but now many residents support adding more cameras.
“Improving public safety and addressing quality of life issues in Oakland is my top priority,” Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao wrote in a statement released by Newsom’s office. “This new camera network will help us stop crime and hold more suspects accountable.”